It’s been four years since we launched Dave's Charm School’s online platform and many people have benefited from the courses, not least of which is the Communications 101 course covering active listening, body language, communicating respectfully, and more.

One of the lessons in the course is titled “Email, IM, Texting Standards” and includes my Dirty Dozen Email Rules. These rules are incredibly helpful for any executive, manager, or front-line employee that wants to present themselves professionally and communicate effectively via email.

Every rule may not apply to you, but most of them probably do. Feel free to copy and edit my list to create your own list that works at your company.

the following is a sneak preview excerpt from our updated Hire the Best training, coming soon

John and his wife met a nice woman at church. Let’s call her Margaret. As they got to know each other, John and his wife developed a casual friendship with Margaret. They would exchange hellos, talk about their week, and share stories about their kids. They liked Margaret. She seemed sensible, funny, and rational.

John’s company had less than 20 employees. A few months after meeting Margaret, there was an opening in his business at a time when Margaret was looking for a new job. After a couple of coffee meetings, he decided to hire her.

Let’s cut to the chase: It is completely legal to use a personality assessment in your hiring process as long as it is not the sole basis for evaluating the candidate.

Satisfied? Get back to work! For the rest of you, read on.

It’s the end of 2018.  Did you achieve all of your objectives this year professionally and personally? Did you even have objectives for 2018? If you are honest with yourself, the likely answer is no.

The good news is, you get another chance in 2019.

The bad news is, your unproductive habits are ready to sabotage 2019.

How do you hire and fully engage employees when we live in such a narcissistic world where emotions are considered equal to, or even more reliable truth than facts or logic?

Please note, when I say "employees", it includes every leader and owner.

What happens to the taste of a stew when you add something fiery hot, meaty, and so overpowering that it can stand on its own?

Last Spring the Golden State Warriors, winners of 3 of the last 4 NBA Championships, announced they had acquired free agent DeMarcus Cousins.

Where's the $50,000?

The Society for Human Resources Management (SHRM) has said to replace one bad hire can cost up to 5X the annual salary of executives and top contributors.

Job descriptions are dead. They are static documents that died on completion. Into the file folder they go... never to be seen again.

Instead, why not create a success plan for every team member?

Leaders ask great questions, but are also careful listeners.

This is a skill we need to teach our employees.  Our Leadership Essentials Academy has Dave's Charm School (and other team members) training to develop questioning and listening skills.  However not all of you are members.